Animal enclosure with dual door assembly

ABSTRACT

An animal enclosure including a plurality of members defining an interior of the enclosure. One of the plurality of members includes a first member having a frame structure and door assembly formed by a plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires. At least two of the horizontal wires of the frame structure form a hook positioned inside the defined opening. The door assembly is coupled to the frame and moves between open and closed positions. The door assembly includes a first door and a second door removably coupled to one another. The enclosure also includes a latch assembly for releasing the door assembly from the frame structure. In the closed position, at least one horizontal wire of the first door and at least one horizontal wire of the second door are coupled to the hooks formed by the at least two horizontal wires of the frame structure.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/911,167, filed Jun. 6, 2013 entitled “Animal Enclosure with Dual DoorAssembly”, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/759,570, filed Feb. 5, 2013 entitled “Animal Enclosure withDual Door Assembly”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to an animal enclosure, and in particularto an enclosure having a dual door assembly.

BACKGROUND

The use of animal cage is well known in the prior art. Many conventionalcages have been developed over the years for housing animals ofdifferent sizes, and through the development of these cages flexibilityand portability have become points of emphasis. Some conventional cages,for example, have been designed to collapse to a compact position forportability. Others have been designed of light weight and from durablematerials. Conventional cages have been designed for ease oftransporting an animal. Some conventional cages are designed as exercisepens that provide an interior space that the animal can move about,particularly outdoors.

Most conventional cages include at least one door for providing accessto the interior of the cage. An animal can enter or exit the cagethrough the opening when the door is opened, and the animal can besafely contained in the cage when the door is closed. Many conventionalcages include a door that is attached to the cage via a hinge. Thisallows the door to be swung open and to be closed. A variety of latcheshave been incorporated into the design of the door to allow a user toopen or securely lock the door.

Many of these conventional designs have limitations, however. Withregards to an exercise pen, for example, the door is generally formed byan entire height and width of a panel or side member of the pen. Many ofthese doors are not able to be securely latched or may not prevent ananimal from escaping therefrom. In addition, due to the size of thedoor, it can be difficult for an owner to reach into the interior of theexercise pen and retrieve a desired animal when two or more animals areenclosed therein.

Therefore, a need exists for an improved animal enclosure that can becollapsible, portable, and provides better means for accessing theinterior of the enclosure which overcomes some of the above-mentionedlimitations in the prior art.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an animal enclosure isprovided. The enclosure includes a plurality of members defining aninterior of the enclosure, where the plurality of members includes atleast a first member. A frame structure of the first member has aplurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires that define anopening for an animal to pass therethrough and enter or exit theinterior of the enclosure. At least two of the horizontal wires of theframe structure form a hook positioned inside the defined opening. Theenclosure also includes a door assembly of the first member having aplurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires and beingcoupled to the frame structure. The door assembly is pivotable about andslideable along a vertical pivot wire of the frame structure to movebetween an open position and a closed position, where the door assemblyincludes a first door and a second door removably coupled to oneanother. A latch assembly is also provided and includes a first end, asecond end, and a substantially U-shaped structure therebetween, wherethe first end and second end are pivotably coupled to a horizontal wireof the door assembly. In the closed position, at least one horizontalwire of the first door and at least one horizontal wire of the seconddoor are coupled to the hooks formed by the at least two horizontalwires of the frame structure.

In one aspect, the latch assembly is formed by a single wire. In anotheraspect, the first end and second end of the latch assembly are bent todefine an opening for receiving the horizontal wire of the doorassembly. In a further aspect, a horizontal wire of the frame structureis disposed in the opening defined in the second end of the latchassembly in the closed position. In a different embodiment, a firstmechanism is integrally coupled to the first door and a second mechanismis integrally coupled to the second door. Here, when the first door andsecond door are coupled to one another, the first mechanism is disposedin contact with the second door and the second mechanism is disposed incontact with the first door.

The animal enclosure may also include a vertical wire of the first doorhaving a hooked end that overlaps and contacts a portion of the firstdoor in the closed position. In yet another aspect, the enclosureincludes a clip coupled to the second door. The clip can be integrallyformed by a vertical wire of the second door. Moreover, a horizontalwire of the first door can be removably coupled to the clip when thefirst door and second door are coupled to one another.

In another embodiment, a side member is provided for an exercise pen foraccommodating an animal. The side member includes a frame structurehaving a plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires thatdefine an opening for an animal to pass therethrough and enter or exitthe exercise pen. The frame structure includes an outer frame wire, avertical pivot wire, and a first horizontal wire. The side member alsoincludes a door assembly having a plurality of interconnected horizontaland vertical wires and being coupled to the frame structure. The doorassembly is pivotable about and slideable along the vertical pivot wireto move between an open position and a closed position. The doorassembly includes a first door and a second door removably coupled toone another. The side member further includes a latch assembly having afirst end, a second end, and a handle portion therebetween, where thefirst end and second end are pivotably coupled to a horizontal wire ofthe door assembly. The first end and second end of the latch assemblyare bent to define an opening for receiving the horizontal wire of thedoor assembly and, in the closed position, the first horizontal wire ofthe frame structure is disposed in the opening defined in the second endof the latch assembly.

In one aspect of this embodiment, the latch assembly is formed by asingle wire. In another aspect, at least two of the horizontal wires ofthe frame structure each form a hook. Each hook can be positioned insidethe defined opening. Moreover, in the closed position, at least onehorizontal wire of the first door and at least one horizontal wire ofthe second door are coupled to the hooks formed by the at least twohorizontal wires of the frame structure.

In a different aspect, a first mechanism is integrally coupled to thefirst door and a second mechanism is integrally coupled to the seconddoor. Here, when the first door and second door are coupled to oneanother, the first mechanism is disposed in contact with the second doorand the second mechanism is disposed in contact with the first door. Inaddition, a vertical wire of the first door can have a hooked end thatoverlaps and contacts a portion of the first door in the closedposition. In a further aspect, a vertical wire of the second door hasone end bent downwardly to form a clip. The vertical wire is coupled toan upper-most horizontal wire of the second door. A bottom-mosthorizontal wire of the first door can be removably coupled to the clipwhen the first door and second door are coupled to one another.

In a different embodiment of the present disclosure, a door assembly isprovided for an exercise pen for accommodating an animal. The doorassembly includes a frame structure having a plurality of interconnectedhorizontal and vertical wires that define an opening for an animal topass therethrough. The frame structure includes a vertical pivot wireand at least two of the horizontal wires form an upright hook disposedinside the defined opening. The door assembly also includes a first doorhaving a plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires. Eachof the plurality of horizontal wires includes a curled end that definesan opening for receiving the vertical pivot wire such that the firstdoor is pivotable about and vertically slideable about the verticalpivot wire. The door assembly further includes a second door having aplurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wires. Each of theplurality of horizontal wires includes a curled end that defines anopening for receiving the vertical pivot wire such that the second dooris pivotable about and vertically slideable about the vertical pivotwire. At least one horizontal wire of the first door and at least onehorizontal wire of the second door are coupled to the upright hooksformed by the at least two horizontal wires of the frame structure.

In one aspect of this embodiment, the door assembly includes a verticalwire of the second door having a hooked end that overlaps and contacts aportion of the first door in the closed position. In another aspect, avertical wire of the second door has one end bent downwardly to form aclip. The clip engages a horizontal wire of the first door when thefirst door and second door are coupled to one another.

In a different aspect, the door assembly can be configured in a firstconfiguration and a second configuration. In the first configuration,the first door and second door are engaged to one another such that avertical wire of the first door is disposed in an opening definedbetween a transverse loop wire and the second door; a vertical wire ofthe second door has a bent end forming a downwardly facing clip, wherethe clip engages a horizontal wire of the first door; and the first doorand second door are moveable about the vertical pivot wire of the framestructure in a substantially concomitant relationship to one another. Inthe second configuration, the first door and second door are disengagedfrom one another such the vertical wire of the first door is removedfrom the opening defined between the transverse loop wire and the seconddoor; the horizontal wire of the first door is disengaged from the clip;and the first door and second door are moveable relative to one anotherabout the vertical pivot wire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure and the manner ofobtaining them will become more apparent and the disclosure itself willbe better understood by reference to the following description of theembodiments of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an animal enclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a door frame and door assembly of theanimal enclosure of FIG. 1 in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the door frame and door assembly of FIG.2 with a latch in a partially open position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a clip for coupling afirst door and second door of the door assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the door assembly of FIG. 2 in an openposition;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first door of the door assembly inan open position and the second door in a closed position;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the clip;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the latch of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a door frame and door assembly of theanimal enclosure of FIG. 1 in the closed position with an alternativelatching assembly; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the alternative latching assembly ofFIG. 9.

Corresponding reference numerals are used to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure described below are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the preciseforms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, theembodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the artmay appreciate and understand the principles and practices of thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure relates to a collapsible animal enclosure. Theanimal enclosure can be used for multiple purposes, such as to containan animal or another object. The enclosure can be made of any size foraccommodating an object of any size. In addition, the enclosure can bemade of different materials including aluminum, plastic, and steel. Theenclosure can be designed as an animal crate for defining an interiorthat is surrounded at all sides, or it can be designed as an exercisepen in which at least one side is uncovered.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an animal enclosure 100 is shown.The enclosure 100 is in the form of an exercise pen, but this is onlyintended to be an example. The enclosure 100 can be formed ofsubstantially horizontal and vertical wires that overlap one another todefine an interior portion 118. One or more of the horizontal wires canbe coupled to one or more of the vertical wires, and vice versa, to addstructural integrity to the enclosure 100. For instance, the wires maybe welded, adhered, fastened, or coupled to one another through avariety of means. The enclosure 100 can include a plurality of sides ormembers that form the enclosure 100.

In FIG. 1, for example, the enclosure includes a first member 102, asecond member 104, a third member 106, a fourth member 108, a fifthmember 110, a sixth member 112, a seventh member 114, and an eighthmember 116. Each individual member can be coupled to an adjacent membervia a fastener, clip, latch, or other means. For instance, in FIG. 1,each member is coupled to an adjacent member by use of one or moreclips. Vertical wires of the respective member can be rotatably disposedwithin the clip to allow the enclosure, of any number of sides, to beconfigured in a desired manner. While the illustrated embodiment depictseight sides, other embodiments may include any number of sides. In thismanner, a user may assemble the enclosure to any desired shape based onthe size of the animal, object, etc. being contained therein.

With respect to the enclosure 100, the first member 102 is shown havinga door assembly 120. The door assembly 120 can be coupled to a framedefined by the first member 102 such that the door assembly 120 can beconfigured between an open position and a closed position. For instance,the door assembly 120 can be pivotably coupled to the frame so that thedoor assembly 120 can pivot between said positions. Moreover, othermembers can include a door assembly. Although only one door assembly 120is shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments there can be two or more doorassemblies for accessing the interior 118 of the enclosure 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2-8, the first member 102 and its door assembly 120is shown in greater detail. The door assembly 120 can be formed as asingle or dual door assembly. In FIG. 2, the door assembly 120 includesa first door 200 and a second door 202. Here, the first door 200 andsecond door 202 can be moved between a closed position (e.g., FIG. 2)and a substantially open position (e.g., FIG. 5). Moreover, one of thefirst door 200 and second door 202 can be moved between the openposition and the closed position relative to the other door (e.g., FIG.6).

The first door 200 can include a handle or latch assembly 204 forreleasably engaging with the first member 102. The latch assembly 204can be disposed in an engaged position (e.g., FIG. 2) with a firsthorizontal wire 206 of the first member 102. To open the first door 200or the door assembly 120, the latch assembly 204 can be moved alongdirection 300 to an unlatched or disengaged position (e.g., FIG. 3).

Referring to FIG. 8, the latch assembly 204 can include a handle portion900. The entire latch assembly 204 can be formed by a single wire, forexample, or two or more wires may be coupled to one another to form theassembly 204. In FIG. 8, the handle portion 900 is formed as asubstantially U-shaped member. The latch assembly 204 can include afirst end 904 and a second end 906. The first end 904 can be bent,deformed, or curled in such a way so as to define an opening 902therein. Likewise, the second end 906 can be bent, deformed, or curledto define an opening 908 therein. Each of the first and second ends canbe bent, deformed, or curled to form three substantially 180° curves,where the middle curve defines the respective opening 902, 908. As shownin FIG. 2, in the engaged or latched position (e.g., with the doorassembly 120 in a closed position), the latch assembly 204 engages thefirst member 102. In particular, the first horizontal wire 206 can bedisposed in the opening 902 defined in the first end 904 of the latchassembly 204. As such, the door assembly 120 or the first door 200cannot be moved along direction 602 or 702, respectively, unless thelatch assembly 204 is disengaged from the first horizontal wire 206.

As shown in FIG. 3, the latch assembly 204 can be disengaged orunlatched from the first horizontal wire 206 by moving the handleportion 900 along direction 300. In doing so, the latch assembly 204 ispivotably coupled to a horizontal latch wire 244 disposed on the firstdoor 200. The horizontal latch wire 244 can be any horizontally-disposedwire on the door 200 that allows the latch assembly 204 to freely pivotthereabout along direction 300. The latch assembly 204, and inparticular the first end 904 and second 906, can define sized openings910, 912 respectively for receiving the horizontal latch wire 244. Inaddition, the formation (or bend) of the first end 904 and second end906 can be such that the latch assembly 204 cannot be easily removedfrom its pivotable coupling with the horizontal latch wire 244. Thus,the latch assembly 204 can pivot relative to the horizontal latch wire244 and allow the door assembly 120 or first door 200 to move betweenthe open and closed positions.

To further understand the manner in which the door assembly 120, and inparticular the latch assembly 204, engages the first member 102, thefirst member 102 can define a door frame. In doing so, the first member102 can include a first frame portion 248, a second frame portion 250,and a base portion 252. The first frame portion 248, second frameportion 250, and base portion 252 can be integrally coupled or formedfrom the plurality of overlapping horizontal and vertical wires thatform the first member 102. The first frame portion 248 and second frameportion 250 can be substantially upright and are disposed on each sideof the door assembly 120. The base portion 252 can be disposedsubstantially below the door assembly 120.

In the closed position, the door assembly 120 can include a definedwidth that partially overlaps the second frame portion 250 of the firstmember 102. For instance, in FIG. 2, the door assembly 120 can includean overlap portion 254 that substantially overlaps the second frameportion 250. As such, the first end 904 of the latch assembly 204 ispivotably coupled to the horizontal latch wire 244 at a locationdisposed in the overlap portion 254 of the door assembly 120. In thisarrangement, the first horizontal wire 206 has a defined length in whichat least a portion of that defined length can be engaged by the firstend 904 of the latch assembly 204 in the latched position.

To facilitate the pivotable movement of the door assembly 120 betweenthe open and closed positions, the first member 102 can include asubstantially vertical pivot wire 218. The pivot wire 218 extendslongitudinally from a first end 256 disposed in the base portion 252 toa second end 258 disposed in the first frame portion 248. The first end256 of the pivot wire 218 is coupled to an outer frame wire 246 thatdefines the outer edges of the first frame portion 248, second frameportion 250, and base portion 252. The pivot wire 218 can be welded,adhered, fastened or coupled in any other manner to the outer frame wire246.

As shown in FIG. 2, the door assembly 120 can be coupled to the pivotwire 218 via a plurality of horizontal wires on the door assembly 120engaging the wire 218. For instance, each of the horizontal wires thatform the door assembly 120 can include hooked ends that are pivotablycoupled to the pivot wire 218. In FIG. 2, the first door 200 can includea first horizontal wire 214 having a first hooked end 216, a secondhorizontal wire 212 having a second hooked end 222, a third horizontalwire 224 having a third hooked end 232, and the horizontal latch wire244 having a fourth hooked end 220. The second door 202 also includes aplurality of horizontal wires 228 having hooked ends. For instance, thesecond door 202 can include a first horizontal wire 242 having a firsthooked end 230 and the remaining horizontal wires 228 having hooked ends234, 236, 238 and 240. Each of the hooked ends on the first door 200 andsecond door 202 can also move substantially vertically along the pivotwire 218 to allow both doors to move vertically relative to the firstmember 102 and between the open and closed positions.

By enabling the first door 200 and second door 202 to move substantiallyvertically along the pivot wire 218, one or both doors can be movedbetween the open and closed positions. In the illustrated embodiment,the doors would not be able to open and close if such movement wasrestricted due to a plurality of hooks 210 formed on the ends of atleast two horizontal wires of the first member 102. As shown in FIGS. 2,5 and 6, the second frame portion 250 of the first member 102 caninclude a plurality of horizontal frame wires 208. Each of thehorizontal frame wires 208 can include a first end that couples to theouter frame wire 246 and an opposite end that forms one of the pluralityof hooks 210.

In the closed position of FIG. 2, the first horizontal wire 214 of thefirst door 200 can be removably coupled to the hook 210. Likewise, thesecond horizontal wire 212 and third horizontal wire 224 can beremovably coupled to respective hooks 210. The second door 202 can beremovably coupled to a plurality of hooks 210 in the closed position aswell. For instance, the first horizontal wire 242 and at least one ofthe plurality of horizontal wires 228 can engage respective hooks 210.The first horizontal wire 242 of the second door 202 and the thirdhorizontal wire 224 of the first door 200 can be removably coupled tothe same hook 210, as shown in FIG. 2. Each of the plurality of hooks210 can be oriented either upwards or downwards to engage horizontalwires on the first door 200 and second door 202. Thus, in theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the first member 102 provides a firstmeans for securing the door assembly 120 thereto, i.e., via theplurality of hooks 210, and the door assembly 120 provides a secondmeans for securing the door assembly 120 to the first member 102, i.e.,via the first end 904 of the latch assembly 204 engaging the firsthorizontal wire 206 of the first member 102.

In addition, each of the plurality of hooks 210 can be disposed inwardlyfrom an interior side 608 (FIG. 5) of the second frame portion 250. Asshown in FIG. 5, each of the plurality of hooks 210 therefore may bedisposed slightly offset from the interior side 608 and into the definedopening 604. Moreover, each of the plurality of hooks 210 may extendoutwardly in a direction away from the interior of the enclosure 100. Inthis manner, to close the door assembly 120, the first door 200 andsecond door 202 can be pivoted along direction 602 towards the closedposition (e.g., FIG. 2). As the door assembly 120 approaches the closedposition, each of the first door 200 and second door 202 can be liftedsuch that both door slide vertically along the pivot wire 218 and atleast one horizontal wire of the first door 200 and at least onehorizontal wire of the second door 202 can be disposed in an openingformed by at least two of the hooks 210.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-7, the door assembly 120 can include one ormore mechanisms for removably coupling the first door 200 and seconddoor 202 to one another. In FIGS. 2, 4 and 7, for example, the seconddoor 202 can include a vertical wire 400 that forms a clip 226 at oneend thereof. The wire 400 can be coupled to the first horizontal wire242 of the second door 202 via welding, adhesive, a fastener, or otherknown means. Alternatively, the wire 400 may only be coupled to one ormore of the plurality of horizontal wires 228 that form part of thesecond door 202. In any event, the clip 226 can define an opening 800(FIG. 7) therein for receiving the third horizontal wire 224 of thefirst door 200 in the closed position. As such, the third horizontalwire 224 can be removably coupled to the clip 226. If it is desired tomove only the first door 200 to a partially open position 700 as shownin FIG. 6, the third horizontal wire 224 is disengaged or decoupled fromthe clip 226 before the first door 200 can be moved along direction 702towards the partially open position 700.

For purposes of this disclosure, the partially open position refers tothe door assembly 120 being in a partially open position due to thesecond door 202 being disposed in the elose closed position. In FIG. 5,on the other hand, both the first door 200 and second door 202 are shownin an open position and thus it is referred to in this disclosure as theembodiment of FIG. 5 being the open position. This is not intended tosuggest that the first door 200 is not or cannot reach a fully openposition, but rather only distinguishes the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6with reference to the door assembly 120 in its entirety.

With regards to FIG. 6, a smaller or partial opening 704 is defined andaccessible when the first door 200 is moved along direction 702. Here,the partial opening 704 is defined along an interior side 706 of thefirst frame portion 248, an interior side 708 of the second frameportion 250, and an interior side 710 of the second door 202, and inparticular the first horizontal wire 242.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, another mechanism is provided for securingthe first door 200 and second door 202 to one another in the closedposition. More particularly, this additional mechanism can prevent ananimal from moving the first door 200 relative to the second door 202when both doors are coupled to one another or in the closed position.Here, the first door 200 can include a vertical wire 270 that has afirst end coupled to the first horizontal wire 214 and a second end thatforms a hook end 500. In the closed position of FIG. 2, for example, thefirst door 200 and second door 202 can be coupled to one another via theclip 226. To add further support and rigidity to the door assembly 120,however, the hook end 500 can be in contact with first horizontal wire242 of the second door 202.

In a related aspect, the second door 202 can include a transverse,substantially U-shaped loop (not shown) that is formed by a wire coupledto the first horizontal wire 242 of the second door 202. The transversewire can be coupled to the plurality of horizontal wires 228 of thesecond door 202. In this aspect, the transverse wire can define aninterior space or opening (not shown) between the transverse wire andthe first horizontal wire 242, such that in the closed position of FIG.2, the hook end 500 of vertical wire 270 is movably disposed in thespace or opening defined between the second door 202 and transversewire. The transverse loop may also take the form of a hook, latch, clip,or other coupling mechanism for engaging the hook end 500.

The enclosure of FIG. 1 can be collapsed to a compact or storedposition. To do so, clips or fasteners can be used for coupling each ofthe members to one another in the assembled position (FIG. 1). Byremoving the clips or fasteners, the enclosure can be folded like anaccordion to a compact position. In another aspect, each of the membersmay be hingedly or pivotably coupled to adjacent members and the entireenclosure can be folded or collapsed in an accordion-like manner.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of a latching mechanismis disclosed. The latching mechanism 1000 can consist of a first wire1002, a second wire 1004, and a third wire 1006. The first wire 1002 maybe substantially U-shaped and have a first end 1008 and a second end1010. The first end 1008 and the second end 1010 of the first wire 1002can be pivotably coupled to a horizontal latch wire 244. Further, thefirst wire 1002 can be coupled to the second wire 1004 at severallocations (e.g., 1015, 1017, 1011, and 1013) spaced from the first end1008 and the second end 1010. The first wire 1002 may be coupled to thesecond wire 1004 using a variety of methods such as welding, adhesive, afastener, or other known means.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second wire 1004 can be coupled to the firstwire 1002 and extend horizontally away from the vertical pivot wire 218.Further, the second wire 1004 can be coupled to the third wire 1006. Thesecond wire 1004 can consist of a first bend 1016 and a second bend 1018located at either side of the second wire 1006. The first bend 1016 andthe second bend 1018 can be approximately 180°. In other aspects, thecurvature or degree of bend of the first bend 1016 and second bend 1018can be different from 180°. Further, the first bend 1016 and the secondbend 1018 may form a first substantially horizontal portion 1012 and asecond substantially horizontal portion 1014. The first substantiallyhorizontal portion 1012 and the second substantially horizontal portion1014 can be approximately parallel or disposed at a slight anglerelative to one another. The first substantially horizontal portion 1012and the second substantially horizontal portion 1014 can have a lengthdefined such that both portions of the second wire 1004 can couple tothe third wire 1006 and the third wire 1006 is able to be properlyaligned for coupling to the first horizontal wire 206 in the closedposition.

The second wire 1004 can be coupled to the third wire 1006 at a firstlocation 1026 and a second 1028 location. The second wire 1004 and thethird wire 1006 can be coupled to one another at one or more locationsand using any known method (e.g., welding, adhesive, fastener, etc.).One skilled in the art can understand how the specific locations andnumber of coupling points need only be sufficient to allow the necessarystructural integrity of the coupled wires. A plurality of locations maybe used to couple the wires to one another and the specific locationsidentified in this disclosure are not intended to be limiting.

The third wire 1006 can have a first end 1021 that is coupled to thesecond wire 1004 at the second location 1028 which allows the third wire1006 to properly engage the first horizontal wire 206 in the closedposition. The third wire 1006 can have a second end 1023 that is bent,deformed, or curled in such a way so as to form an opening 1020 thereinfor receiving the first horizontal wire 206. In one example, the secondend 1023 of the third wire 1006 can be bent, deformed, or curled to formthree approximately 1800 bends, where the opening 1020 is defined by oneof the bends. Further, the first 180° bend 1022 can form an opening forpivotably receiving the horizontal latch wire 244. In this manner, thelatching mechanism 1000 can be pivotably coupled to the horizontal latchwire 244 at the first end 1008 and the second end 1010 of the first wire1002 and the opening formed by the first bend 1022 of the third wire1006.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the engaged or latched position (e.g., with thedoor assembly 120 in the closed position) the latch assembly 1000engages the second frame portion 250. In particular, the firsthorizontal wire 206 can be disposed in the opening 1020 defined in thesecond bend 1030 of the third wire 1006. As such, the door assembly 120or the first door 200 cannot be moved along direction 602 or 702 (FIGS.5 and 6), respectively, unless the latch assembly 1000 is disengagedfrom the first horizontal wire 206. Similar to the manner in which ends1008 and 1010 are pivotably coupled to horizontal latch wire 244, thethird wire 1006 can be pivotably coupled to the horizontal latch wire244 by engaging the horizontal latch wire 244 with the first bend 1022.Thus, the latch assembly 1000 can pivot relative to the horizontal latchwire 244 and allow the door assembly 120 or first door 200 to movebetween an open and closed position.

While this particular embodiment couples three separate wires togetherto achieve the latching functionality, one skilled in the art canunderstand how a similar embodiment could consist of any number of wiresand still function similarly. For instance, instead of coupling threewires to one another, a single wire could be structured to achievesubstantially the same result. Alternatively, four or more wires may bestructured to achieve the desired function as described herein.

While embodiments incorporating the principles of the present disclosurehave been disclosed hereinabove, the present disclosure is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments. Instead, this application is intended tocover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using itsgeneral principles. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractice in the art to which this disclosure pertains and which fallwithin the limits of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An animal enclosure comprising: a pluralityof members defining an interior of the enclosure, where the plurality ofmembers include at least one first member; a frame structure of thefirst member having a plurality of interconnected horizontal andvertical wires that define an opening for an animal to pass therethroughand enter or exit the interior of the enclosure, where a firsthorizontal wire and a second horizontal wire of the horizontal wires ofthe frame structure each respectively form a first hook and a secondhook positioned inside the defined opening; a door assembly of the firstmember coupled to the frame structure, the door assembly being pivotableabout and slideable along a vertical wire of the frame structure to movebetween an open position and a closed position, where the door assemblyincludes a first door having a plurality of interconnected horizontaland vertical wires and a second door having a plurality ofinterconnected horizontal and vertical wires, the first door and thesecond door removably coupled to one another; and a latching mechanismpivotably coupled to the first door and securing the first door to theframe structure in the closed position, the latching mechanismcomprising at least a first wire, a second wire, and a third wire;wherein: the first wire forms a substantially U-shaped structure andincludes a first curled end and a second curled end pivotably coupled toa first horizontal wire of the first door; the second wire forms a firstcurved end and a second curved end, the first wire and second wire beingcoupled to one another at one or more locations near the first curvedend; and a third wire coupled to the second wire at one or morelocations, the third wire forming at least a first bend and a secondbend, where the first bend defines an opening for receiving a horizontalwire of the frame structure in the closed position, and the second bendis coupled to the first horizontal wire of the first door.
 2. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein in the closed position the firsthorizontal wire or another one of the horizontal wires of the pluralityof interconnected horizontal and vertical wires of the first door iscoupled to the first hook and a horizontal wire of the plurality ofinterconnected horizontal and vertical wires of the second door iscoupled to the second hook of the frame structure.
 3. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein the latching mechanism can be pivotedbetween an engaged and a disengaged position, where the first door isfree to pivot from the closed position to the open position when thelatching mechanism is disposed in the disengaged position.
 4. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein the first wire is pivotable between afirst position and a second position, where the latching mechanism isdisposed in the engaged position when the first wire is in the firstposition, and the latching mechanism is disposed in the disengagedposition when the first wire is in the second position.
 5. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein the second door comprises a hook forcoupling to the first horizontal wire or another one of the horizontalwires of the plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wiresof the first door such that movement of the first door inducescorresponding movement of the second door when the first and seconddoors are coupled to one another.
 6. The animal enclosure of claim 1,wherein the first hook and the second hook positioned inside the openingare for receiving the door assembly in the closed position.
 7. Theanimal enclosure of claim 6, wherein the first hook and the second hookeach form a lip that allows at least two of the horizontal wires of thedoor assembly to be raised over the lip, pivoted to the closed position,and lowered into a recess defined by each of the first hook and thesecond hook.
 8. The animal enclosure of claim 7, wherein the first bendof the third wire engages one of the horizontal wires of the pluralityof interconnected horizontal and vertical wires of the frame structurewhen the door assembly is lowered into the defined recess of each hook.9. The animal enclosure of claim 8, wherein in the closed position, thelatching mechanism engages the one of the horizontal wires of the framestructure to restrict the door assembly from being removed from therecess of each hook.
 10. The animal enclosure of claim 1, wherein in theclosed position, the latching mechanism engages one of the horizontalwires of the plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wiresof the frame structure to restrict the door assembly from being removedfrom each of the first hook and the second hook.
 11. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein the latching mechanism can be pivotedbetween an engaged and a disengaged position, where the door assembly isfree to pivot from the closed position to the open position when thelatching mechanism is disposed in the disengaged position.
 12. Theanimal enclosure of claim 1, wherein the first wire is pivotable betweena first position and a second position, where the latching mechanism isdisposed in an engaged position when the first wire is in the firstposition, and the latching mechanism is disposed in a disengagedposition when the first wire is in the second position.
 13. The animalenclosure of claim 1, wherein the second wire forms a substantiallycontinuous loop.
 14. The animal enclosure of claim 1, wherein the secondwire comprises a first substantially horizontal portion and a secondsubstantially horizontal portion, where the first substantiallyhorizontal portion couples to the first and third wires at at least onelocation on each of first and third wires and the second substantiallyhorizontal portion couples to the first and third wires at at least onelocation on each of the first and third wires.